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Two communities came together Thursday evening to mourn and remember the 49 people killed in a shooting at an Orlando nightclub early Sunday morning.

In Palm Springs, hundreds gathered at Frances Stevens Park for the second vigil this week. Many held small lit candles and quietly listened to the different speakers.

"We have gathered at this corner after hate crimes and Prop 8," said Vincent Corrales, who organized the Palm Springs vigil. "This time, we gather for our fallen brothers and sisters."

Mayor Rob Moon implored the audience to keep fighting for equality and getting rid of "weapons of mass destruction."

"The NRA cannot pay us off," he said, to applause. A single balloon was released into the air for each victim as their names were read aloud.

Salim Alama and Monty Poff held each other as the names were read.

"It hurt, but it also made us angry that people are so hateful these days," said Poff. He and Alama have been together nearly 30 years.

"We felt we've gone through a lot and to feel like it's over, and then something like this happens," Alama said, trailing off. "We have to keep fighting."

The crowd then walked down to Arenas Road. Along the way, bystanders applauded the participants and shouted things like "Great job!" and "God bless you."

Paul Green, who attended the event with his husband said he'd experienced violence against the gay community before and had hoped that younger generations wouldn't have to experience it.

"When you attack a gay bar, that's our sanctuary. You attack all of us," Green said. "I'm glad the community could come together to stand up against that and for gun control."

Thirty minutes after the Palm Springs vigil began, a separate vigil was held at the  Henry Lozano Community Center in Desert Hot Springs.

Community members and leaders offered their condolences.

Elena Kim, a field representative for Rep. Raul Ruiz, offered words of condolence from the congressman, but her own words as well. Kim said that as an army veteran, "it's tough for us to see those citizens harming other citizens, it doesn't always make sense. All I can say is it is our responsibility now to live our lives in the spirit of community and love."

Rabbi David Lazar, from Temple Isaiah in Palm Springs, sang a lullaby for the attendees, explaining that the lullaby describes three angels watching over a sleeping child.

"You'd think God would be enough," he said. "Angels are necessary for so many of us."  Lazar said the Hebrew word for "angel" is messenger," and that in the Hebrew tradition, angels just look like people. He challenged the audience to be messengers by standing up for what's right.

"Messengers speak out against religious hatred, gender hatred, whatever it may be," Lazar said. "We may not have wings or halos, but we all have it within us, our godliness, and we can all be messengers."

Gabby Ferreira is a public safety reporter for The Desert Sun. Contact her at gabrielle.ferreira@desertsun.com or follow her on Twitter: @Its_Gabby F.